“I think this would be a worthwhile expenditure,” Wyatt said. “As time goes by, the Senior Center will only be used more. We have an aging population everywhere.”

Trustee Janet Jankura called $2,400 a “very fair amount.” She also asked her colleagues to be “open minded” about funding a feasibility study for a community recreation center after a group interested in the idea for the Richfield/Bath area was unable to secure a grant to fund the study.

Also at the meeting, Police Sgt. Paul Fister reported the department is planning to hire Stephanie Thomas and Stephen Vari as part-time patrol officers.

Thomas is a part-time dispatcher in North Royalton and graduated from Parma High School and the Cuyahoga Community College Police Academy. Vari, a Revere High School graduate, works for the Norton Police Department part-time. He has an associate degree from The University of Akron and graduated from its police academy.

Fister also said D.A.R.E. officers will be honored at the Lake Erie Monsters hockey game March 23. Tickets are available for $20 by calling officer Michael Simmons at 330-659-9500. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Revere D.A.R.E. Program.

He added that the tornado siren tests will take place on Saturdays at noon beginning April 6.

Fister also talked with the trustees about hunting and firearms regulations in the township. He said firearms can be discharged on residents’ properties but need to be 250 feet away from the residence and not fired toward any residence.

If a resident is hunting or shooting on someone else’s property, he or she has to have written permission from the property owner at the time of hunting or shooting, Fister said.

“When I started working here 16 years ago, the township was more spacious,” he said. “People moved out here and wanted to fire guns and ride snowmobiles. The township is more populated now, but people still want to do those things.”

In other news:

Assistant Fire Chief Phil McLean said all of the fire hydrants in Richfield were fixed for one week, but a truck hit a hydrant in the area of Wendy’s on Brecksville Road, so it needs to be repaired again.
“That was one of the new ones,” he said. “It was just put in last August.”

Zoning Inspector Laurie Pinney said the Zoning Commission will continue a public hearing on the proposed rezoning of the southeast corner of Broadview and Boston roads from R-1 (Rural Residential) to C-1 (Local Commercial). The hearing will take place today, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m.
Pinney noted the Summit County Planning Commission had recommended the rezoning be denied.

Trustee Laurie Peters Gilmore said road crews have been plowing more lately, but still without going into overtime. This benefits the township financially, she added.

The trustees voted to apply for a Community Recycling Access Grant from the Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority.

At a special meeting Jan. 23, the trustees voted to withdraw a 2012 zoning violation against John Allega and JJJ Properties.
“This will put us in better legal position to deal with future violations,” Pinney explained, noting residents who attended the special meeting supported the trustees’ decision.
Also at the special meeting, the trustees authorized Wyatt to apply for Ohio Public Works Commission funds for the repair of Hawkins Road, a project that will cost an estimated $330,000.

The next regular Richfield Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the township offices, located behind the fire station on West Streetsboro Road.